Why it can be difficult for the Cincinnati Reds to use platooned lineups in the NL Central

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – After adding more outfield and infield depth throughout the offseason, one of manager David Bell’s toughest tasks will be dividing at-bats all season.

It appears Matt Kemp and Jesse Winker will compete for at-bats in left field. Scott Schebler and Nick Senzel could compete in center. Derek Dietrich and José Iglesias will search for at-bats in utility roles.

For teams, it’s a good problem to have. They want depth and it is a plus to have options off the bench. One solution is to platoon where one player hits against righties and the other versus lefties, but it's usually unpopular with players who don’t receive regular at-bats.

“I look at it two ways,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I think every day, every game, is so important that you want to put your lineup that provides the best matchups against the opposition. That’s the easy answer. The other part of it is just the mental part of it for the players. Players like to know their roles. Players like to know what to expect. I think that’s more of a challenge.”

Cincinnati Reds' Matt Kemp watches his home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of a spring baseball game in Scottsdale, Ariz., Monday, March 4, 2019.(Photo: Chris Carlson, AP)

One factor that could make it tougher to do strict platoons is the lack of left-handed starting pitchers in the National League Central. Among the projected rotations, the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals will have only righties. The Chicago Cubs are expected to have three lefties.

Bell knows strict platoons can be unpopular. When he was a player, there were times when he was unhappy with playing time.

"I have been in those situations where I thought I should be playing, and I wasn’t," Bell said. "Sometimes I handled it well. Sometimes I handled it poorly. It’s all part of being competitive. I don’t regret how I handled it. I know why I handled it that way. I think I can use that experience to be able to relate and hopefully be good with the communication part of it to help with that.”

Talking to Los Angeles reporters throughout the spring, Yasiel Puig has discussed his dislike for platoons last season. With the Dodgers, he didn’t hit against lefties.

“Hopefully the communication can be a strength,” Bell said. “I know, for sure, going into this that there’s going to be conversations with a lot of different people where they can be difficult conversations. They are not always going to like it, but hopefully, it’s done in a way that there’s a respect.”

Bell didn’t say whether he planned to use platoons during the upcoming season, but he acknowledged there’s a balance for using them.

“You have to constantly keep the big picture in mind,” Bell said. “A particular lineup may look like it gives you the best matchup on paper one night but is that giving you your best chance to win as many games as possible over the course of the year? I just think there’s a lot that goes into it. I’m looking forward to that part.”

LORENZEN IN CENTER: For the first time this spring Saturday, Michael Lorenzen played center field without pitching beforehand.

Lorenzen entered as a center fielder in the sixth inning and played two innings against the Texas Rangers. He singled to center in his only at-bat.

“The total number of innings and total number of at-bats of spring training is somewhere around 10-12,” Bell said. “Part of it is just seeing where he is and how he’s feeling and go from there.”

Lorenzen dove and missed on a line drive to center in the top of the sixth inning, which turned into a Danny Santana triple. He was a few steps from the ball when he started his dive, but Lorenzen would prefer to try to do too much in spring training.

"That's why he's out there," Bell said. "It's only fair if he gets the opportunity to work out some of the kinks, but it wasn't a bad play or anything. Maybe a little overaggressive, but that's OK. Good to see him get a hit."

Lorenzen threw a side session at the team's complex before Saturday's game.